SC to hear Param Bir Singh’s plea for transfer of inquiries to agency outside Maharashtra

New Delhi, May 17

The Supreme Court will hear on Tuesday a fresh plea of former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh seeking transfer of all inquiries against him to an independent agency outside Maharashtra like the CBI.

Singh, a 1988-batch IPS officer, was removed from the post of Mumbai Police Commissioner on March 17 and was made the General Commander of Maharashtra State Home Guard after he levelled allegations of corruption and misconduct against then Home Minister and senior NCP leader Anil Deshmukh.

The Bombay High Court had ordered a CBI probe into allegations of Singh against Deshmukh who had to resign as the minister.

The senior police officer, in his fresh plea before the top court, has alleged that he has been made to face several inquiries by the state government and its instrumentalities and sought their transfer outside Maharashtra and a probe into them by an independent agency like the CBI.

A vacation bench of justices Vineet Saran and B R Gavai would hear the plea of Singh on Tuesday, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, who has been representing Singh in courts, told PTI.

The former top cop of Mumbai, in his fresh plea, has made the state government, CBI and the Maharashtra Police chief as parties.

Singh, in his earlier plea filed before the top court, had sought a CBI probe against Deshmukh who, he claimed, had asked police officers, including suspended cop Sachin Waze, to extort Rs 100 crore from bars and restaurants.

The top court had then asked him to go the Bombay High Court which ordered CBI probe into Singh’s allegations and against that order the state government and the NCP leader subsequently failed to get any relief from the apex court.

Deshmukh denied any wrongdoing and had said there was not an iota of substantive evidence to even prima facie establish that any of the allegations made by Singh had an element of truth.

In its 52-page judgement, the high court had said Singh’s allegations against Deshmukh had put at stake the citizen’s faith in the state police.

Such allegations, made by a serving police officer, against the state home minister could not be left unattended, and were required to be probed into, if prima facie, they made a case of a cognisable offence, the high court had said.

The high court’s verdict had come on three PILs including one filed by Singh seeking several reliefs as also a CBI probe into the matter. PTI

Join Whatsapp Channel of The Tribune for latest updates.